Mystery Mondays: Review: Detection Unlimited

Welcome to another edition of Mystery Mondays, where once again I actually have a review prepared! (Eventually, I will run out of mystery reviews on a weekly basis, I just happen to have a few in the pile right now...) Today's review is (unintentionally) in keeping with my Weekly Geeks quote theme, as Detection Unlimited is a mystery by Georgette Heyer.

Title: Detection Unlimited
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre: Mystery, Fiction
Pub. Date: 1953 (my edition is 1971)
Bantam, 249 pages


From the back of the book:


It was a hot June evening, and young Haswell had just motored he lovely Abby Dearham back from Thornden's social event of the week. All of the village uppercrust had come to the Haswells' tennis party--the Squire, the Vicar, the sharp-tongued heir to five centuries of local real estate. But Sampson Warrenby had declined, and no one was sorry.


Why this charmless social-climber was invited was beyond Abby. Had he some sinister hold on the social leaders of Thornden?


All joking was cut short when a wild-eyed girl came running down the lane. For it was Warrenby's niece, announcing he was dead.


Detection Unlimited was the last of Heyer's mysteries. So far, it's actually the only one I've read because my mother happened to have her original copy and passed it along to me. As I learned in The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge, her husband (who left his career as a mining engineer to become a barrister) actually helped her with writing her mysteries, making sure that she left appropriate clues that would give the reader a fighting chance to solve the mystery.

As with her Regency romances, Heyer writes colorful dialogues between the characters and develops them fully throughout the book. As you read, you really feel like you've become a part of the small village yourself, as Heyer paints the picture so vividly. And you really feel for poor Inspector Hemingway, who has to put up with unsolicited help from everyone he encounters during his investigation. It's a wonder he is able to solve the murder, yet he manages to do so quite cleverly. Oh, and not to worry, there's a bit of romance in this story, too! For me, as a mystery lover, I enjoyed seeing Georgette Heyer use her talents in this genre and look forward to reading more of her mysteries.

My rating:
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